| "Reflections by Jill" - A Weekly Commentary on One Life to Live | |
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REFLECTIONS BY JILL….Well, talk about a comedy of errors. Could that mission to retrieve poor little Starr have looked any more like an episode of The Three Stooges? It was bad enough that Todd decided to take matters into his own hands, but could everyone have been any more obvious to a kidnapper? And Bo…I love you…but come one…you’re the police commissioner and you’re walking around with your cap over your eyes, holding up your newspaper, obviously not reading a word, and looking more conspicuous than a bundled up Eskimo in a nudist camp. Then of course we have Blair entering the scene, getting all over Bo’s case while he’s trying his best not to stick out like a sore thumb. I guess she couldn’t help herself, but honestly, if that Laser person were blind, he’d have been able to figure out what was going on. Then, the icing on the cake…I just about died laughing when Roxy picked up the wrong briefcase and wound up with the one containing the million-dollar ransom. Could anything else have gone wrong? I have to say…the most level-headed person in the bunch was…who else…Starr Manning. I almost choked on my soda laughing when she told Laser, “My dad is going to squeeze you like a python until your guts come out of your mouth.” If Laser had any brains, he’d run scared so fast from Starr he’d forget he’d ever met her. Kudos to little Kristin Alderson, whom I guess isn’t so little any more. As always, whatever storyline she is thrown into becomes well worth watching. I’m enjoying watching her grow up.
They should have let Starr negotiate her own release. I’ll bet she wouldn’t have made such a mess of it. And another thing…talk about cheap…did Laser really have to teach Starr how to steal food from the vendor in the park? I mean, come on, the guy found a stash of $2,500 in her backpack. Hot dogs don’t cost that much…even in New York City…take my word for it!
Oh, and speaking of Roxy…she kills me. What a great line when Nat sent her out to get a bottle of champagne to get her out of the way while she returned the money to the police…Roxy flies back into Rex’s apartment saying she forgot her purse and, “They card me sometimes, you know.” I wonder if Roxy can remember the last time she was carded…I wish I could. She sure is lucky her kids are looking out for her and bailing her out of her gambling troubles for now when she needs a “temporary cash transfusion.”
And speaking of money…I think Natalie put it very nicely when she told Rex she felt like an ATM. Actually, the women of Llanview are ALL starting to look like the drive-through withdrawal window. Natalie seems to have all of a sudden found her inheritance again. I seem to remember when Mitch snaked Llanfair out from under Viki, that Natalie put up what she said was the last of her money to rent that house for Viki and Jessica to live in. Hmmm…maybe some more of that Lord/Buchanan money seeped back into her bank account.
I will say one thing for Rex…and I can’t believe I am saying this again…but Paul is making Rex look so innocent it’s funny. It’s obvious that Paul is out for no one but himself. He’ll do anything to anyone to get what he wants. It is also obvious that Rex, on the other hand, wants plenty and would love to have it handed to him, but would never do anything to deliberately hurt Natalie or Roxie. As much as Rex annoys me, I have to give him that. That little, broken, messed up family of Rex, Natalie and Roxy is the real deal.
And then there’s another Miss Money Bags…Kelly. Too bad she doesn’t have a pile of bucks to fall back on that she can dip into without hubby finding out. Too bad she was saddled with a brother like Paul (maybe her brother/maybe not) who thinks the women of Llanview were put on this earth to happily and willingly support him. I wonder if Kelly will help him in his quest for Natalie’s money. At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past Kelly. She’s got no way out but the truth and that surely won’t get her what she wants and needs.
Did you laugh as hard as I did when Paul told John he was in love with Natalie? I have an easier time believing that Travis is in love with Starr. At least he means it…or at fifteen he thinks he does.
We can’t forget Ms. Megabucks, Dorian, whose bucks don’t even really belong to her…well, at least most of them don’t. As much as I want to punch Todd sometimes, I was horrified the other day when he needed the ransom money and Dorian blackmailed him, making him swear on his children’s lives that he’d stay away from Blair if she gave him the money. I know she was trying to protect Blair from ever being hurt by Todd again, but she had no right to do that to him in the vulnerable position he was in. I’m sure he’s not too worried…it’s not like he’ll abide by his agreement with Dorian anyway.
I think it’s getting very interesting between Daniel, Nora, Bo and Matthew. It’s kind of nice to see Daniel behaving like such a human being. And to think I wanted to toss him into the Llantano River when he first came on the scene. He’s obviously trying to turn into a decent guy and I think he’s doing a good job. He was really cute with Matthew at the police station the other day. I think he and Nora have good chemistry together, although I still think Nora and Bo are destined for each other once again. Daniel needs to find a nice woman. He doesn’t need to be pining away for Lindsay for a minute more. She’s a lost cause.
How funny was dear old David when he was talking to Adriana about her virginity? Actually, for a guy whose life has been spent scamming people and never being sincere, he doesn’t make a half-bad dad. He sure does add a bit of humor to the situation though, doesn’t he? He’s a genius at taking a serious situation, being sympathetic, but at the same time finding a way to add in his irreverent humor, like he did when he came in and found Adriana upset and asked, “What’s wrong? Thinking about your dead dad?” Who else could get away with saying things the way he does? And when he asked her a question she didn’t think was necessary to ask, Adriana said, “I’m a virgin, not an idiot.” I’ll tell you this…the character of Adriana is not the most compelling on the show, but in scenes with David, I see her in a whole different light. Those two are wonderful together as opposite ends of the spectrum.
The best scene of the week was between Bo and Todd. I was amazed at the amount of emotion and honesty that came from Todd. It was amazing to watch as he apologized to Bo and was shocked that Bo still wanted to help him find Starr even though he believes Bo hates him. Todd, who really doesn’t know how to accept kindness and compassion, finally saw that Bo meant it when he said he didn’t hate him and that he didn’t wish on anyone what Todd and Blair were going through trying to find Starr. Talk about growth…that was huge for Todd.
They say there’s a murder coming up…hmmm…I wonder who it will be. There’s lots of speculation on the Net. Lots of people say it will be Paul. No way do I believe we’ll be lucky enough to get rid of him any time soon. He’s too mean and slimy and too many people love to hate him. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. Lots of people also want to be rid of Kathryn. Can’t say I disagree with that one. She’s nothing but annoying and if she’s what comes between Natalie and John, they didn’t have what it takes to start with. I would love to see John and Natalie come to more of a mature understanding some day soon. I think they could be so good together but their games are getting a bit tedious. Natalie is going to get into real trouble with Paul. She’s way too intent on not being alone at any cost and I don’t know how many times John can come to her rescue before she destroys herself. Hopefully, John will stop playing games and face his feelings before he loses any chance at happiness.
And finally, on to my favorite subject…Viki. First of all, what was she doing at a conference in Chicago when she’s on the verge of a major heart attack? That was a lazy way to explain her absence for those few days. Her kids will certainly be the death of her if they don’t start treating her like she wants to be treated. It was awful the way she found out about Starr’s disappearance and I believe it was worse for her to see a flier on the hospital wall about Starr being missing than it would have been hearing the truth in a calm, honest way. It broke my heart when she went to talk to Ben, who is the only person she can talk to about anything and everything. It continues to shock me that TPTB don’t realize that even though Ben cannot be a responsive partner right now, the scenes where Viki spends time with him lying in a coma are more packed with raw emotion and chemistry than any other scenes between any other actors on the show. Viki needs Ben…how much more obvious can it get…and I don’t mean for his body parts…ALTHOUGH…all of his body parts are very valuable in my estimation…actually, downright priceless! Well, come on…you know they are! Viki without Ben…it’s like a day without sunshine…and it’s been raining far too long in Llanview!
See ya next week...
Jill Berry
FAN FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONS
Joan writes: “Please refresh my memory...I don't recall the character of Kelly ever being a strong person with either actress portraying her? The truly strong one has always been Viki and she withstands every obstacle in her path. The storyline with Blair and Todd is non-stop and I agree with one of your readers who said Todd should move on and so should Blair. I do think that Starr’s problem will help either bring them together or get them moving on.”
Dear Joan: I always found Kelly to be a rather strong woman. She was certainly a feisty young girl and grew up to do well when she ran The Sun several years ago and was a member of the hospital board. I liked her with Joey and although I didn’t have much respect for either her or Kevin at the time when they fell in love behind Joey’s back, I never would associate her character with the words “desperate,” or with the concept that she would do anything to hold onto her man…even something criminal…but that’s the way I see her now. Sure, Kelly has done some dumb things in her life…who hasn’t? I can’t compare her to Viki because I don’t think any other female character on the show comes close to Viki as far as strength and character go. As far as Todd and Blair go…sure, they could each move on…but who would have them and for how long would it last? Starr will once again probably bring them back together…but I figure that’s only until the next explosion…which could be caused by something as simple as the decision over what to have for breakfast.
Clara
writes:
“I agree with you about Ben. I wish he'd wake up and start his 'new'
life with Viki! Have you read the rumor about Viki getting Ben’s heart? How sad
would that be? My favorite current couple is Nat & John - these two together and
individually are great! Speaking of dads, when is Clint coming to town? His girl
Natalie needs a big hug from him, pronto!”
Dear Clara: Have I read the rumors about Viki getting Ben’s heart? Hmmm…let me think about that for a minute…YESSSS!!!! And in answer to your question, it would be much more than sad…it would be vile, no matter how romantic the demented fools in charge think it would be. For now, I shall refrain from saying anything else about the prospect of that happening. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say at the time, if that particular horror comes to pass. Clint will be in town later this month and so will Larry Wolek. I can take or leave Clint…I’m thrilled to see Dr. Larry at any time.
Belle writes: “Why is Kelly taking money from the business accounts? Did she lose all the money the other guy left her when he died? Wasn't it millions or maybe even billions of dollars? I just don't understand that.”
Dear Belle: Yes, Kelly had inherited a lot of money and we were all wondering what happened to it…but just a few days ago she did finally mention that between bad investments and the current stock market the money had dwindled to near nothing. I don’t remember how much she inherited, but it has always seemed strange to me, too, that she didn’t have her own money to fall back on when Paul started hounding her.
Cheryl writes: “I started watching OLTL because of Matt Ashford, and now I'm hooked-- wow, a soap that actually catches their serial killer without him being blatantly obvious... what a concept. But I digress...I was reading your reviews, and you keep mentioning that both Kelly and Kevin are acting out of character. What would be in character for these two?”
Dear Cheryl: I had watched Matthew Ashford for years on Days Of Our Lives, as I’m sure you did…and you found your way to One Life To Live as I found my way back to it after a few years away watching Another World. I followed many actors from Another World when it went off the air back to OLTL and I was never sorry. As a matter of fact, although all of them have now left the show, I’ve had plenty of other reasons to stay with it. Regarding Kevin and Kelly…the character of Kevin has been played by many actors over the years. My personal favorite was Tim Gibbs…I adored him as Kevin and although he was always a guy who loved the ladies, to say the least (some of them belonging to other men), I think the writing for the current Kevin makes him much more insensitive to everything else around him except in his pursuit of what he wants or when he’s trying to get revenge on someone…namely Todd. He doesn’t have as much depth as he used to in my opinion. He used to be dedicated to running The Banner with Viki in a traditional and classy way and the minute they brought Kevin back in his latest incarnation, his first order of business was to fire two long-term valued employees of The Banner. The old Kevin would never have done that…and certainly not behind Viki’s back. I wish you could have seen the relationship between Kevin and Viki when Viki went through the breast cancer storyline. It was so beautiful and Tim and Erika were magic on the screen. I don’t see a lot of that in Kevin any more. As far as Kelly goes, as I said in my response above, she was never the desperate, pathetic woman she is now, doing anything she could to cling to her man…even if it’s humiliating and degrading, not to mention illegal. I’d love to see Kevin and Kelly be much more like they used to be.
© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, 2004
